Books

The best-selling books are cookbooks and diet books. 

 

One tells you how to prepare your food, the other tells you how not to eat it.

No More BP Medicine!

NO MORE BP MEDICINE!!

 

Monday February 26, 2007

 

I went to my General Practitioner today for a check of my BP. He has been cutting my dose over the last three months.

 

TODAY HE SAID I DON'T NEED IT ANYMORE!

 

That's right - I DON'T HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE ANY MORE! WOO HOO!

 

I also lost four more pounds in the last month, which is a good thing, but the NO BP MEDS is A GREAT THING.

 

I go back in three months. He still wishes me to check my BP twice a week and if it jumps to call and reschedule earlier.  But as bike season starts soon, and I will be exercising more, I hope that I will lose more weight and stay off the meds!

 

So, to sum up - NO MORE BP MEDICINE! I DON'T HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE ANY MORE! WOO HOO!

 

Satiety: Dictionary.com Word of the Day

Word of the Day from Dictionary.com
Sunday, February 11, 2007

 

satiety \suh-TY-uh-tee\, noun:

The state of being full or gratified to or beyond the point of satisfaction.

 

Carbohydrates, especially the starchy ones like pasta and potatoes, provide a feeling of satiety, both physiologically and psychologically.
-- Marian Burros, "Eating Well", New York Times, October 19, 1988

Isidore of Seville, in interpreting the Psalms in the seventh century, seconded the idea that tears produce satiety. "Lamenting," he wrote, "is the food of souls."
-- Tom Lutz, Crying: The Natural and Cultural History of Tears

 

AND FINALLY -

I NEVER really ever had a feeling of SATIETY until I got my LAP BAND - JC February 11, 2007.

7 months and one day with a LapBand. 

Satiety is from Latin satietas, from satis, "enough."

Super Bowl XLI

Super Bowl XLI

 

Well, a year ago, I would have been XXL or XXXL at the Super Bowl. This year, I am just XL with XXL usually being loose. I have XLII more pounds to lose as my goal.

 

The Super Bowl is a major eating day to many people, myself included. It is perhaps a more dangerous day than Thanksgiving. Snacks, Treats, Beverages - ALL RISKY.

 

I decided that my Super Bowl Party menu would be:

   

Appetizers and Snacks:

Bubba's Black Bean Dip, Cuban style, as you would find in Miami.

JC's Meskin Bean Dip

Carrots, we got carrots

Cheese, Cheese and More Cheese.

Chips

Actual food-

BBQ- Pulled Pork Sandwiches

Coleslaw

Tailgate Beans

Crab Stuffed Mushrooms

 

Knowing that I could theoretically eat all day with grazing being a major potential, I decided to make myself a small plate of the Mushrooms, and then limit my grazing to potentially healthy options. I put aside a meal's worth of the BBQ and the Beans for later in the week. I doubted the Mushrooms would be a good leftover, so one big one was my serving.

Only three people at the party knew of me and the LapBand. 

I had 15 people RSVP and 29 showed up! Actually- make that 30 as one straggler showed up in the 4th quarter with a tan.

 

At 5:40, there was NO ONE here yet. I was wondering if I would be eating 7 pounds of leftover BBQ for months. 5:45 Three showed. 5:50 Two more, 5:55 NEARLY EVERYBODY ELSE in one mob.

 

Just as kickoff was about to happen, my coworker calls and is lost and upset. It took me 20 minutes to navigate her by phone to get here. So I finally got to watch the game with 6 minutes left in the first quarter.

 

Once I got everyone there, I love to "host" from the bar. I moved from there only occasionally. I had decided that in my spot, I would have just "good" snacks near me. So  I had a Bengals helmet with BAKED TOSTITOS SCOOPS and Bubba's Black Bean Dip. I also had a tray with lunchmeat, carrots, cheese, with ranch dip. I kept the sweets far away. In fact, one person made a STADIUM cake, and then I asked for no more desserts to be brought when I sent out the invites.  ( Usually there would be way too many cookies, as in even I was thinking that there were too many cookies in the olden days)

 

Well, I had a GREAT TIME. I ate a bit more than I should, but again, perhaps 1/3 to 1/2 of what I would have in the past. A few folks had not seen the new me and were amazed. I was surrounded by friends and enjoying my life. I danced at half time to Purple Rain by Prince with a beautiful girl, I danced after the game with two pretty women to KD Lang covering Neil Young's "After the Gold Rush " and "Helpless". A few of the guys were jealous of me dancing with the women, and a few of the women were jealous of the women who got to dance with me!

 

Erica did decide that she missed me. I had not enjoyed life the last few years, and yesterday I did! She was so happy to see a healthy JC singing, dancing and laughing- enjoying my life again. There is going to be a lot more singing dancing and laughing in my future!

 

When the night ended, we had a new twist to the evening- I had a bunch of disposable Tupperwares and FILLED THEM UP AND GAVE THEM TO FOLKS AS THEY LEFT. I still have tons of leftovers, and it will take a long time to finish them. But I gave away much more- that never happened in the olden days!

 

All in all, it was just so nice to enjoy life again. The few folks that asked what I was snacking on were completely satisfied by me saying I had made a supply of healthy choices available to myself. And I was completely satisfied as well!

Sports Nutrition Class

The Cincinnati Cycle Club held a winter panel discussion last night.

Around 20 of us came to last night's session at a health and fitness center. We started a bit after 7:30 as we had to wait until a women's boot camp session had ended. After those darn sweaty (several cute) women finished running, jumping, sweating and groaning in front of us, our 4 presenters took over.

Our Topics:   

    Strength Training

    Orthopedics

    Sports Nutrition

    Muscle Activation Therapy

As I am prone to bonking, I particularly found the sports nutrition class to be interesting. One major recommendation was to NOT eat Protein bars during a ride. They suggest those AFTER. During a ride, our body wishes that we eat carbs, such as a CLIF Bar or GOO. She pointed out that in the HOUR following a ride, that is when the body is craving protein, and suggested that then be when I eat protein. (I would often have a protein bar after, on the way home).

The main issue she had to speak of that was of value to me with my "bonking" is the timing of nutrition. As I learned in the Florida Keys, I can not start a ride with 8-10 miles on an empty stomach. Also, I can not ride 40-50 miles on 1,500 calories a day. So, I will be doing some more research about this, as 6 weeks from now, I will be on a 6 day, 300-400 mile bike ride (BIKE FLORIDA).

As I am prone to bonking, I particularly found the portion about sports nutrition of value, and I hope we can get a session sometime just on that. Our speaker (Dawn Weatherwax) is the author of "The Complete Idiots Guide to Sports Nutrition". I ordered the book. (insert your own JC is a complete idiot joke here).

Also, they discussed a product that I had not seen nor heard of that might be of interest to some - GATORADE PERFORMANCE SERIES NUTRITION SHAKES. I will be trying those soon after a ride. http://www.c-els.com/sfCatalog.asp?sn=E013020020030028&pchid=60936

I bought three cans of  them just to see how they taste - Vanilla, Strawberry and Chocolate -  and the strawberry I had this morning is a little worse tasting than a Slim Fast. I did feel like I had a bit of an upset stomach a bit later, and still do three hours later, and I never have that feeling after a can of Slim Fast.

The quick review of GATORADE PERFORMANCE SERIES NUTRITION SHAKES-

    Good-  20 grams of protein instead of 10.

    But-

    BAD- 380 calories instead of 180.

We ended the night around 9:45.  Each subject could easily gone longer, and as I said before, I hope we can get a nutrition class in the future.

To our organizers - Walt and the Adrenaline folks- Thankyaverymuch

JC

 

 

WINTER PROGRAMS - PANEL DISCUSSION

DATE:            Thursday, Jan 25, 2007 -  7:30PM

LOCATION:  Adrenaline Sports & Fitness

                        6659 Liberty Court

                        Liberty Township, Oh 45044

Note: This address is not yet on the map programs.  Take I-75 to the Michael Fox freeway (129).  From 129, turn north at the first exit (Cincinnati Dayton Rd) and go past the shopping area to Wyandot Ln.  Turn right and go to the end of this road to Liberty Crt.  Turn left.  AS&F is on the left side.  This area is just north of Lakota East High School.

AGENDA:      The panel is comprised of experts in the fields of strength training, orthopedics and sports medicine, nutrition and muscle activation therapy.  Each panel member will provide an overview of their specialty and offer tips to help you learn more about taking care of yourself and then the discussion will be opened up for questions you would like to have addressed. 

The folks at Adrenaline Sports & Fitness have offered to host this program at their facility in Liberty Township at no cost to the club.  In order to help them with the preparation, please call (513-779-4503) or E-Mail Walt  and let him know if you are planning to attend so we can get a rough head count.

 

Six Month Bandiversary

Six Month Bandiversary

 

July 10, 2006 to January 10, 2007

 

Today marks SIX Months of my new life with a LapBand.

 

It has been an interesting trip, and I think one for the better. Lots of life options available to me now. And I'm gonna try most of them! I even had a date with a cute chick last week!  

 

Being a Bandiversary, I felt the need to step on the official Deaconess scales this morning.

 

282.         87 down!

 

That is three pounds down since two weeks ago. 

 

I had recently stated that my goal for the next few months is to lose 5 pounds a month. So, I am right on track.  These three pounds were not done with exercise. I have not been riding my exercise bike these last two weeks due to a cold, and being quite busy. Most nights have had me working at my rental property - painting and what not. While you can get sore from painting, I doubt that painting burns as many calories as a good bike ride.

 

At the rental I have just taken a bunch of string cheese and turkey pepperoni for my snacks. Both are "high protein for the calories" type foods. And they taste great and keep you feeling full for a while, even after just eating a few ounces.

 

Once I get the work done at the rental, and my cold is gone, I'll start riding the exercise bike in the basement again. That will help with the weight loss as well as help get me ready for Bike Florida in March.

 

So there you have it, HAPPY BANDIVERSARY TO ME!

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

 

Yes, Day One of the New Year.

 

Is today the day for resolutions? Well, none for me. But I am going to set a number of goals today. Things to do, things to enjoy, places to go, and things to see. All of which I should now be able to do since I am becoming healthier and healthier.

 

Things to Do:

    Bike Florida in March

    Weeknight rides beginning this spring.

    Weekend rides beginning this spring

    The Chili Century

    The National Ride of Silence

    The Pendleton County Watermelon Crawl

    The Hooters Ride

    MS 150

    BCBCBCBC

    My Old Kentucky Home Tour

    Hope Ride

    Natchez Trace

I've not been able to any of these for a while. Now I plan to!

 

More rides with my niece in Louisville- she got a new bike for Christmas. Every weekend that I go down, I hope she and I can go to the Louisville Riverfront bike trail.

 

Other non bike things to do- MORE WALKS. More concerts, more time with friends. Yard work, finish a number of projects for outside. (dilemma- ride bike or project in the yard? I've decided to pay someone to do the rental property yard again, that will free up a lot of time)

 

Things to Enjoy: LIFE, Liberty and the pursuit of cute chicks! Actually just having the opportunity to enjoy all these and many other things is a major joy of life now.

 

Places to Go:

    Florida

    Natchez Trace

    Hike the new trail in Mt Airy Forest

    Hike the trails at the Cincinnati Nature Center

 

Things to See:

    LESS OF ME!  The goal is 45 less in 2007.

 

As you can see, I've got a lot of things to look forward to in 2007. And to help me get healthier and be able to do these things, I'm going downstairs right now and get on the exercise bike!  Boring, but I'll be thinking about all that I want to do while watching the big screen!

 

Happy New Year!

 

JC

2006 The Year in Review

2006 The Year in Review

Well, like it does for many folks in the newspaper, the end of the year means it is time for a "Year in Review" column.  

The year truly would start for me with an anonymous email from a friend on February 27th. One statement in that email would change my life. " It is a simple procedure called Lap-Band."

I had NEVER heard of such a thing. I had heard of ByPass and knew that I would NEVER do that. So, a bit of research and then the emails and phone calls to and from Bubba began as the IDEA of a new life was placed before me.

After doing much research, I decided to go to a seminar that would be given by Dr. Curry at Deaconess Hospital in March. That got moved back a bit, and I ended up at a seminar given by Dr. Smith at Deaconess. My journey had begun, and due to things temporarily beyond my control I was considering going forth with Dr Smith.  I was not pleased with what I was finding out about Dr. Smith and then was able to move back to Dr. Curry.  Since I was able to work with Dr. Curry my life has changed, all in GREAT WAYS.

That brings us to July 10th - LapBand day. Much like a birthday, it will be an anniversary date I remember.

I know that I would not have been able to have so much success without the ladies of Deaconess. Anonymously, I thank them. 

I decided not to tell too many people of my choice. I work with a large number of negative people and sadly have found my self disappointed by a number of friends.

But for the friends that I did tell, I must say that I could not have done it without them! My god daughter and family- god daughter has been so sweet and has enjoyed many milestones with me these last 6 months. Her mom- probably the best way to describe all that she has done for me would be to say she is the wife I never had and sorta the third sister I do. All the things she has done for me have made me feel loved. It's a nice feeling. 

My mom and sister- very supportive and caring. I actually got to take my 7 year old niece on a bike ride in October, and throw a football on Turkey Day with one of my nephews. Without the LapBand, I would never have done either, and both are highlights of the great life I expect to have.

The Deaconess Dieticioness- Could not have done it without her. We speak many times a week, and in 2007 as I focus on the next 45 pounds, we will work together to get me healthier and keep me healthier. And she has become a friend! That is a good thing.  

Bubba- last, but not least. Faithful readers will know what I'm talking about. Anytime I needed a friend, an answer, a goal. Bubba was there for me. I'm damn lucky to have him as a friend.  One of my major recovery goals was to be able to ride BubbaFest in the Florida Keys in November. I RODE MY BIKE FROM MIAMI TO KEY WEST! A truly emotional high. Never expecting to ever be on a bike again, Bubba has made me appreciate every mile that I get now.

For those who will be asking about the numbers here you go:

369 / 285 / 240

369 - my largest weight 

285 - my current weight

240 - my goal

85 down. 45 to go. But the 45 to go are not the reason that 2006 ended so well. All the things I got to do as I became healthier and healthier - the life I can enjoy and the opportunities in front of me- that's the reason that 2006 was so good.

That's the year in review. In fact it makes me think about all I want to do in the future. But that's why we have New Years. 2007 - coming soon. A year with goals and hopes and desires. And a year that it looks like I'll have the possibility to achieve those goals and hopes and desires.

Happy New Year - Talk to you NEXT YEAR!

JC

A Day of Good News

A Day of Good News

 

Wednesday December 27, 2006

 

Well, yesterday was a Day of Good News.

 

 

The Car- not totaled. It is getting repaired and is expected back the week of January 15th. How is this related to the LapBand, you might ask? Well, after paying $16,500 to the LapBand folks at Deaconess last summer, I was hoping the Honda lasted a few more years and that I would not need a new car for a while. Wrecking it made me potentially need a new one. Well, good news - it's getting fixed!

 

The Deaconess Scale- Yup, as posted yesterday, lost a pound. Crash Diet over Christmas, but I STILL LOST! No gaining 12 pounds as in a typical Christmas this year! I was jut hoping to stay even, so any loss, even a pound is good news.

 

My visit with my PCP-  Their office scale has me down 16 pounds from three months ago. It weighs four pounds more than those at Deaconess. While I was actually ON the scale when the NSV happened (guess that makes it an on scale NSV? haha) the nurse put the scale at 300 and then looked at me and moved it over to the left - 250. Then moved the little bar. It felt GREAT to have the 300 bar get moved to the 250 bar! A big smile from me when she said "wow'.

 

First thing the doc says when he walks in the door is "Wow, you look good".  

 

We discussed my BP Medicine and my vitamins and my hair loss as well as my plans to start riding my bike much more starting this spring. 

 

    BP - he cut the medicine dose in half. As the bottom number is typically in the low 70s and occasionally in the 60s, and I occasionally see stars and might be light headed when exercising, he wants the bottom number to be 75 or so. I go back in a month with more BP measurements. So, my BP medicine is now to be cut in half by a little pill cutter that I bought.

    Vitamins- We discussed the new Bariatric Advantage vitamins, and he wants me to bring them in to look at next month.

    Hair loss- I've still got more hair than him, so all he could say was that if my weight loss continues, but at a pound a week, that I probably would not lose more. He said that the Biotin that I am taking does help some people. But that having a nice slow weight loss of 4-5  month would reduce the stress on my body and let it actually grow some hair.

    CPAP Machine- he suggests that I call the sleep doc for a new consult, as odds are the pressure can be reduced or perhaps I might not need it.  

    More bike riding and nutrition- he suggests that when I get to riding on a more regular basis that I go back to a food journal and sit down again with my dietician. Having a history of kidney stones makes hydration my main goal, and then we work on nutrition needs while riding. While I can eventually get back to 50-75 mile rides, we need to work up to that. He was amazed that I was able to ride from Miami to Key West last month.

 

I told him my goal was 240- - 48 on their scale-

 

"See how much better you feel at 84 pound down?  If you lose the next 48 over the next year, you'll even feel better. Since you chose the LapBand, and if you do it slow, I think you can maintain the loss, and I recommend slower is better for your health."

 

So, all the news yesterday was GOOD!  A Day of Good News!

 

 

The CRASH Diet

The Crash Diet

 

Thursday December 21, 2006 to Wednesday December 27, 2006

 

Well, in my continuing search for new and creative ways to lose weight, I've come up with a new diet -with an old name. THE CRASH DIET.

 

No, this is not your standard crash diet, the one we are all familiar with. This one is a little more expensive and a little more painful. But quite effective!

 

Step 1: Run out of an ingredient for the Christmas Pies that you are baking. In this example it was SPLENDA (because you can borrow a cup of sugar from a neighbor, but just try to borrow a cup of Splenda - Good luck with that!) 

 

Step 2: Drive to Kroger in the rain.

 

Step 3: Avoid being hit by a car that is zipping sideways across the Kroger parking lot.

 

Step 4: Crash your car into a light pole during said avoidment. 

 

Step 4A: (optional) Break a bone in your hand while crashing into said light pole. Note, being a male bachelor, and despite seeing Dr. C a bunch of times this year, I STILL don't go to the doctor as I should. So, the break is just presumed, with no X rays - but 6 days later it still hurts and is puffy and bruised and I have very little grip and  yes I am being a terribly whiny patient. 

 

Step 5: Begin the insurance stuff to obtain new bumper, grill, headlights, hood and radiator, and hope that since the air bags did not go off that you don't have them total the car as you spent $16,500 on a LapBand and that expense means you were planning on waiting on getting a new car for a few more years.. (Gee, I love run on sentences)

 

Step 6: Be Grumpy with your self and then not eat much. Skip Thursday's dinner, Friday's breakfast and most of lunch. (this would be the CRASH DIET!)

 

Step 7: Christmas continues, but all your gifts are wrapped much worse than normal - as you've got a broken hand! 

 

Step 8: Repeat the story to folks you know, as they really do care about you, despite their rolling their eyes at you and thinking you a non com poop for hitting a light pole in a parking lot. 

 

Step 9: Enjoy Christmas with family, because you can! Remember how much better you feel, despite the hand, and enjoy the time with the last few relatives that have not seen you, as well as the other relatives that now are seeing  you in size 44 instead of the size 46 pants you had on at Turkey Day!

 

So, all in all, despite eating pretty much everything I saw (Again at 1/3 to 1/2 of what I used to) and that everything included cookies, jam cake, and custard, I STILL LOST WEIGHT!  In fact I lost one more pound since two weeks ago.

 

285. 84 down  45 to go!